Another Day Won
by Packersfan12
Summary: Asa Moltisanti is the fist female paratrooper in the United States Army. She bonds an enduring friendship with the men of Easy Company, and falls in love with a young officer. The E Company men see her as indestructable and unbreakable, but when she is captured by the enemy and forced to live in inhuman conditions, will she make it out alive?
1. Meeting Winters

_**Hey everybody! This is the first Band of Brothers story I have ever attempted, so I hope it's not a piece of crap. I've read a couple on here and let me tell you, they were pretty dang good! Anyway, to get this out of the way, I do not own Band of Brothers, nor any of the characters in it, besides Asa Moltisanti. Leave reviews, they are very helpful and encouraging! But try not to be too harsh! ;)**_

"Do you feel sorry for him, Private Moltisanti? Do you feel sorry for Private Christenson?" Sobel bellowed.

Spit flew into Asa Moltisanti's face as she answered, "No sir!" and watched as Christenson's form started to disappear into the night.

"I don't believe you Private." Sobel said, glaring into her emerald eyes, "Run Currahee."

"Sir!" she protested, "It's nearly midnight!"

Sobel smirked, "Do you think I care what time of day it is?"

"No sir."

"Then I suggest you get MOVING!" he shouted.

She sighed and started jogging toward the bunk houses. Sobel called after her, "Just where do you think you are going Private?"

"To get my PT gear, sir." Asa replied.

"You will run Currahee in full gear."

Asa bit back an Italian curse, and started toward the bloody mountain. She cursed Sobel, she cursed the mountain, she cursed Christenson, and she cursed the canteens. She hadn't come here to run up and down an oversized hill all day, she had come here to make herself a soldier. She had come for the challenge.

Halfway up the hill, she heard footsteps behind her. Fearing it was Sobel, she did not stop as she turned and snapped, "Am I doing it right sir?"

"Looks just fine to me." Lieutenant Winters' face became visible in the moonlight as he took up a position next to her.

"I thought you were Sobel. He make you come up here, too?" Asa asked.

"No, but I thought you could use some encouragement." Winters said, "And I never liked running Currahee by myself."

"You've ran it by yourself?" she asked.

"Twice." Winters said, "When I couldn't sleep."

"Does Sobel know you're out here?"

"No, and he'll probably have my head for it, but frankly he has everyone's head for something." Winters said.

Asa laughed, "That he does."

They ran in silence for a while, reaching the top and then making the journey back down. Asa stumbled and blurted, "Fuck!" she stopped and rested her hands on her knees, "This fucking mountain."

Winters jogged to a stop in front of her and said, "You alright?"

She grimaced at the pain in her side as she straightened, "Yeah, but hell, I don't think I can do this again."

They started at a slow jog again and Asa said, "I don't even see the point in pushing our times. We're already further ahead than any company by a mile, and yet he says we're not fast enough?"

"You know what I do every time we run this?" Winters asked waiting for her reply before continuing, "I see this as a competition between myself and Sobel. Every time he says to run Currahee, I push myself to the limits, running this hill as fast as I can. I ignore the pain because I know that every second faster I am, I beat Sobel. I win."

"I don't understand." Asa said.

"He sees us as ants under his boot. He figures he is above us all because he's already a graduated paratrooper. Now, Sobel can hardly run this mountain, he is just able to keep up with us. So if I get faster, I can outrun him, I can be a better paratrooper than he is. I can be on the same level as him."

Asa nodded at his words and thought about what he had just said. _Every second faster I am, I beat Sobel. I win. _She nodded to herself and then said, "Why not be above him?"

"Because once you start seeing yourself above another man, you lose who you are." Winters said.

She didn't quite understand his statement, but the lights from the base came into view. A lone figure stood at the bottom of Currahee, arms folded, leg tapping the earth, "Lieutenant Winters, who gave you permission to climb the mountain?"

"No one, sir." Winters said, giving Asa a wink.

"Then why did you?" Sobel asked.

"I figured a girl out here by herself should at least be with someone." Winters said.

"Well this girl wants to be a paratrooper, so if she can't deal with a little night time run, then I don't think she's cut out to be a soldier." Sobel said, "Both of you have lost your weekend passes."

"When have we ever had them?" Asa breathed. Winters softly laughed.

"What was that Private?"

"I said where did they go?" she said.

"That sort of talk will get you nowhere Private, now hit the showers and get to your bunks."

"Yes sir!" Winters and Asa chimed in chorus. They started out at a brisk jog across the field, "_Che cazzo_!" Asa said.

"What?" Winters asked.

"Oh, sorry, I forget you are not Italian. It means 'what a dick'. " Asa said.

"Che cazzo? I'll have to remember that one." Winters said with a smile, "You're Italian?"

"My mom and pops moved her from Sicily, settled down in Jersey." Asa said, "They got into the whole crime business, well, at least my pop did."

They entered the bunk house, not bothering to take a shower, "Yeah, he had a whole gang under him, his own soldiers and everything. A _copo_."

"Really?" Winters said, "That's something."

"I knew Capone and his gang before they were busted." Asa said, plopping down. The men around her propped their heads up, listening to her story.

"My ass you knew Capone!" Bill Guarnere said.

"I did. Took care of me and my mom when my pops got whacked." She closed her eyes, remembering her father's body lying on the kitchen floor, blood pooled around him, on the walls, the ceiling. His brains covered the small island they had in the center of the room, his face not even recognizable, "He was a good guy if you got on his good side. Him and my pops where real good friends. Didn't see him much though, Capone."

"He probably had better things to do than watch after a broad and her little brat." Guarnere said.

"Shut up _mammalucc'_." Asa said, giving Guarnere a small slap alongside the head. He smiled and laid his head back down on his pillow. They were both somewhat Italian, they had Italian parents didn't they? They had found each other the first day of training, both uttering the same curses, both receiving odd looks from the men around them.

"You're Italian then?" Guarnere asked.

"My mom and pops where, so I guess that makes me Italian." Asa said.

"Yeah, me too." Guarnere said, "You like veal?"

"Of course I do!"

"Where have you been all my life, doll?"

From that moment, they had been inseparable friends.

"So wait," Joe Liebgott said, "You're dad was in the mafia?"

"That's what I just said isn't it?"

"Yeah, but, that's so…cool!" Liebgott exclaimed, "I wish my parents were that cool. The only interesting thing we do around my place is wear Yamakas."

"You're Jewish?" George Luz asked, and then said in a long over-exaggerated southern drawl, "Well, hell, Liebgott! Praise the Lord!"

"Shut up, dumbfuck." Leibgott muttered.

They all started laughing at once, even Winters despite his usually serious look. Asa knew at that moment, that no matter how much Sobel would cut them down and make them feel like dirt, they were already better paratroopers than he would ever be. They had already won.


	2. We're Airborne Infantry

"Stand in the door." Sobel said in a monotone voice, "You just broke both your legs Private Gordon, are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No sir!" Gordon said, and ran on to the next course.

"Stand in the door."

Asa watched Gordon start to high knee through the rope course. She was behind Guarnere who jumped and received a nod from Sobel.

"Stand in the door."

Asa moved into position and jumped. She rolled to her back and in one swift motion, was on her feet, running to the ropes. She didn't look back at Sobel, but heard, "Stand in the door." So she figured he had approved. She started to high knee through the ropes, around her men were swearing and falling. Ahead of her, Guarnere fell just as he was coming out of the ropes. "Shit!" he said, turning to her as she came out of them, "Fucking ropes!"

Asa smiled as they continued.

A day later they were dressed in their green jumpsuits, doing the same as before. This time there were wooden boxes to crawl through and a wall to go over.

"Come on, to the wall to the wall! Over as a team!" Lieutenant Winters was shouting, encouraging them over the wall, "Come on get to the wall!"

The next day they were crawling under barbed wire through the mud, when they happened upon a ditch filled with intestines and who knows what else.

"Jesus what is this?" Muck exclaimed as they were crawling.

"Pig guts boy." Bull Randleman said.

"Joy." Asa said, following Muck down into the ditch.

Later on, Asa stood with Guarnere, Talbert, and Shifty Powers as they watched Sobel with Gordon.

"Why are you here Private Gordon?" Sobel asked.

"I want to be in the Airborne sir." Gordon mumbled.

"I don't believe you. Why are you here Private Gordon?"

"I want to be in the Airborne sir!" Gordon shouted.

"You have fifteen minutes to the top and back, and I will be watching you." Sobel said. Gordon stared at him until Sobel said, "What are you waiting for?"

Gordon started running, didn't even give Sobel a salute. Asa chuckled at the thought, "What do you suppose, boys?"

"About what?" Talbert asked.

"We goin' with him?"

"It'd be the right thing to do." Shifty said, "But do we really want to run up that thing again?"

"It'd piss off Sobel." Asa said.

Guarnere grinned, "Then what are we waiting for?"

The four of them set off after Gordon in full gear. They ran past Sobel, nodding in greeting toward him as they did. Asa was sure to give him a nice smile. He watched them in disbelief, standing in the same spot, even as they started the climb.

By the time they reached Gordon, he was barely able to keep going. Asa and Guarnere jogged up to either side of him without saying a word. Shifty and Talbert came up beside them too, Gordon looking around in relief. He nodded a thank you to them, and found the strength to keep going.

Asa watched Private Parks packing up his bunk. Sobel had found a can of peaches in his foot locker, and ordered Winters to get rid of him.

"I'm very sorry." Winters had told Parks.

"Jesus," Luz said in the bunk to her right, "what the hell's Sobel got against us?"

"Ants under his boot." Asa said.

"I'd fuckin' like to be ants in his goddamn pants." Luz said, "But he'd have to have his underwear on, because that's…" he trailed off.

"Well, I'll be seeing you guys." Parks said.

"Bye Parks!" they all chimed.

"Have a nice life." Luz called after him as he closed the door, "Poor guy."

"At least it wasn't us." Tipper said.

"This stuff is orange."

"It ain't even spaghetti, its army noodles and catsup." Perconte said, shoving a forkful of noodles in his mouth.

"I ain't eating it." Guarnere said, sitting next to Perconte.

"Ah, that's what Asa said." Perconte, "I'll tell you the same thing I told her. As a fellow Italian, you should know passing up a plate of spaghetti is a sin."

The doors flew open and Sobel entered, "Orders have changed, Easy company is running up Currahee, move move!"

"Jesus." Perconte said.

Asa ran up Currahee next to Guarnere, with Winters on her right. Around her, men were throwing up spaghetti and collapsing. Sobel was running through the ranks shouting at them to stop, that there was an ambulance at the bottom, no more pain, no more currahee, no more captain sobel.

"We fall upon the risers-" Luz started singing, the men joining along in their favorite march song.

"Three miles up, three miles down." Asa whispered, "Ain't so bad, don't think about it. Remember what Winters said. Beat Sobel."

She looked at Winters who had been eyeing her. He smiled and nodded, "There you go." She felt her face get hot and looked away. Then an unbidden smile touched her lips as she started singing along-Winters had been looking at her.

"Stupido." She said to herself, but smiled anyway.


	3. Landsburg

The memories of her past made her smile. She was unaccustomed to smiling in this place of death, this place of darkness. She sat up in her stone slab that was supposed to be a bed and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve.

_This is not you Asa, this is not Asa Moltisanti_, she thought. So long she had been considered unbreakable and free spirited, nothing could bring her down. She was the light in the darkness, the men had said. Thinking now, it was a little conceded but she didn't care.

Now, here, she was reduced to nothing but a spec of dirt, an old dog ready to be put to death, an ant under a boot. She smiled, she had always been an ant.

Next to her on the slab, her new friend Rika stirred and looked up at her, "You should sleep, Asa, Lord knows we won't get any for a while."

Asa didn't say anything, just listened to the moans of those around her. This was Landsburg, a sub-camp of Dachau concentration camp. It was meant to house the Jews, the homosexuals, the gypsies, the POW's, the people Hitler said were bad. Basically it was meant to kill them.

She had seen things that no one should ever have to see in their life. She wouldn't wish any of the things that she'd seen or felt upon anyone. Not even Hitler himself.

The thought of Richard Winters brought warmth to her cold stiff body. His memory would always bring that. If only she could ever see his face again, at least one last time, she would be content. She never would, though. She would die in this camp along with the others. She had already accepted that fact, she wasn't naïve, she knew what billowed out of the smoke stacks. Everyone knew, they just didn't want to accept that they, too, would come to that fate. They all would.

Outside, dogs barked and lights flashed through the gaps in the boards. She shivered and laid back down in a fetal position trying to retain her body heat. It was in the dead of winter and the only clothes she had were the thin striped rags on her back. That's all anyone had. If she didn't die of starvation, gas chambers, bullets, or beatings, she would freeze to death. Asa had seen that before, the blue stiff bodies of the dead, left on the ground. There was no privacy, no honor in the German soldiers who ran this camp.

The doors of the hut burst open and German soldiers rushed inside shouting. Dogs barked outside and flashlights shone their twisted faces, ready to kill. Asa drug Rika to stand with her as the head guard of their block, Bruno, walked past them slowly. He stopped in front of them, looking them over with a keen eye.

It was no secret he would have any one of them in his villa. There were already rumors about various girls he had taken to bed with him. You'd think he'd have some decency.

He passed them up, Asa passing a relieved glance at Rika. In the end, Bruno picked two girls who had just arrived. Still retaining the color in their cheeks and the meat on their bones. Asa and Rika were mostly safe from him, they had long ago lost their weight. Now all they were was a walking bag of bones.

The two girls followed Bruno out the door terrified. The doors closed and the whole bunk sighed in relief. No one wanted to admit it, but they were happy it was those girls and not them.

As Asa laid back down to try and get some sleep, she thought more of her journey to D-Day and the life she shared with Easy Company.


	4. Jump Wings and Court Martials

The incessant droning of the C-47's engine was the only thing anyone could hear. There were twelve men sitting across from each other on either side of the aircraft. Some looked uneasy, some excited, some utterly terrified. Asa sat next to Nixon who was smiling, "Hey Asa!" he shouted.

"Yeah Lieutenant?" she asked back.

"Does this jump suit make me look fat?" he asked. Behind him, Winters grinned.

She felt herself laughing, "It makes everyone look fat, sir!"

Nixon grinned at her, and suddenly the man in the front of the plane shouted, "Get ready!"

They rose as one, lifting their hooks up, "Stand up!" they stood, "Hooks up!" they fastened their hooks to the wire running along the length of the C-47. "Check each weapon!" he shouted. Asa patted down Nixon's back, and felt Shifty checking hers. He called for them to start the countdown. They counted down the line, "Four okay!" Shifty shouted. "Three okay!" Asa shouted, patting Nixon's shoulders. "Two okay!" "One okay!" Winters finished.

"Stand in the door!"

They shuffled forward and Asa heard him shout, "I guarantee you're going to love it Lieutenant!" to Winters. The red light in the doorway turned green and he shouted, "Go, go!" Winters jumped. Nixon approached the door, "Go, go!" Nixon jumped. Asa approached the door, her stomach in knots. "Go, go!" she exhaled and jumped through the door without a second thought. The parachute opened up behind her, and she slowly floated to the ground. She tucked and rolled when she hit the ground, and rolled the parachute up, stuffing it in her backpack. Winters and Nixon found her soon after.

"I can't wait for the next four jumps!" Nixon said, "That was fun!"

"It was!" Asa agreed.

Winters smiled and said, "I'm glad you made it out. I think someone paused at the door, but he still made it out."

"Probably Sobel." Nixon said.

They continued on with the next four jumps, and then training was over.

"Private Moltisanti," George Luz said in a mocking voice, "are those dusty jump wings?"

Asa drunkenly looked down at her wings and wiped them off with her thumb, looking at Luz with a smirk.

"How do you expect to slay the Huns with dust on your jump wings?" Luz asked.

"Luz," she said, grabbing him by the collar of his uniform, "just get me a drink."

He smiled and laughed, reaching underneath the bar to get her a mug of beer. He handed it to her and said, "Three miles up."

"Three miles down." She finished, and they clinked glasses.

"Do you remember at all what happened?" the lieutenant sitting across from Asa asked.

She thought long and hard and said, "Well, we were running up Currahee," she watched him type something on the typewriter and waited for him to look up at her, "and all of a sudden he just fell down and started having a seizure. Right there in front of us, just flopping around on the ground. I don't think Sobel really knew what was happening because he was yelling at Private Frankavitch to get up."

The usually composed lieutenant in front of her snorted, "He was?"

"Yeah."

"What a dumbass." The lieutenant covered his mouth, "You didn't hear that!"

"Hear what?" Asa winked.

They had arrived in Aldeborn, England and had continued with their training, even though they had received their jump wings. Sobel had gotten them lost, and technically declared 'killed in action', a number of times, making the men uneasy about his leadership in the war.

Suddenly Sobel entered the room and turned to someone behind him, "And I disagree." He continued to walk over to his desk and sit down. Asa was shocked to see Winters enter the room after him. He stood with his hands behind his back in front of Sobel.

"So, your options are quite simple, Lieutenant. Punishment for your offenses will be denial of a forty-eight hour pass for sixty days-stand before me at attention." Sobel said, pointing with a pen in front of his desk.

Winters looked down, and stepped forward until he was right up next to the desk. A move that brought a smile to Asa's lips.

"Or you may initiate a letter of appeal and request a trail by court martial." Sobel continued. The room went silent, the lieutenant across from Asa having stopped typing. Both he and Asa had turned to stare at Sobel and Winters. Sobel turned to them, and Asa quickly said, "And, he fell down." The lieutenant quickly typing away.

Sobel turned back to Winters, "You spend your weekends on the base anyway, Dick, be a man, take the punishment."

Asa felt an angry flare rise in her stomach, and frowned. She looked up at Winters, waiting for his reply.

Winters nodded and then reached over to where Sobel was writing. He took the pen out of Sobel's hand and said, "May I borrow your pen, sir?" and opened a folded up piece of paper in his hand. He bent down to write something and then handed it over to Sobel, who looked up at him in shock.

"My endorsement, sir." Winters said, "I request trial by court martial."

Asa snapped her head in his direction, and again the typewriter silenced. She felt her mouth fall open and her eyes widen at his decision.

Winters saluted Sobel, and walked from the room.

"Lieutenant!" Asa called, jumping from her chair. She ran out in the hall and caught his arm, "Lieutenant, you can't do this!"

"I just did." He said.

"You can't leave us with him." Asa said frantically, "He'll get us all killed."

Winters' eyes softened, "I'm sorry, Asa, but I had to."

She watched him leave, a feeling of dread washing over her.


	5. We're Still Loyal to you Lieutenant

"We lost Winters to battalion mess." Asa said, angrily stalking toward Lipton.

"What?" he asked, astonished.

"Sobel got him court-marshalled." Asa said.

"Sobel got who court-marshalled?" Guarnere asked, joining their group.

"Lieutenant Winters." Asa said.

"Shit." Guarnere rubbed his chin, looking at the ground.

"I was deciding if I should go to Colonel Sink or not. I mean, I don't want to cause any more trouble for Winters than he already has." Asa said, "What do you guys think?"

They were silent for a moment before Guarnere finally said, "I don't think you could cause him any more trouble. I'd go to him myself, but I think you could do more than I could."

"Lip?" she asked, knowing he was one of the most level-headed guys in the whole company.

"I agree with Guarnere." Lipton said, "I don't think Colonel Sink would mind if you spoke."

"Okay," she said, "I'm going to speak with him right now. I can't go into combat with Sobel leading us. I just can't."

"We'll tell the guys." Guarnere said, then patted her shoulder, "Good luck."

"Yeah, good luck." Lipton said.

"Thanks guys." Asa said, and then started off to Battalion HQ where Sink's office was located. She hoped he was in today, and not off planning invasions with other officers.

She opened the door to the building Battalion was housed in, and looked around in amazement at all the soldiers bustling about, most of them with paperwork in their hands. She stepped inside and was immediately bombarded by Colonel Sink's runner, Lieutenant Harvey Jenkins.

"What are you doing in here, Private?" he asked.

She noted the air of authority he spoke to her in, "I'm here to see Colonel Sink, sir."

"Have you made an appointment to see him?"

"You have to do that?" she asked.

Jenkins looked annoyed with her question, "Of _course _you have to do that. We can't just have anyone in the whole army waltz in to see the Colonel now can we?"

"I guess not, but it's important business." She said, then quickly threw in, "Sir."

"Well, unless you have important information about a Nazi invasion, you'll just have to make an appointment to see Colonel Sink." Jenkins said.

Asa resisted the urge to punch the Lieutenant so hard Colonel Sink wouldn't even recognize him, when the Colonel himself whipped the door to his office open, "Jenkins! Where are you?"

The Lieutenant snapped a salute and said, "Right here sir!"

"Jenkins, run this over to Dog Company immediately, deliver it to Lieutenant Speirs." Colonel Sink said, and then caught sight of Asa, "Private Moltisanti!"

She saluted him, "Colonel Sink, I was just telling Lieutenant Jenkins that I would like to speak with you. He told me I needed to make an appointment."

"Nonsense!" the Colonel said, waving his arm, "Come on in!"

Asa smiled sweetly at the Lieutenant, whose face was crimson. She followed Colonel Sink into his office and stood before his desk at attention.

"Now, what would you like to speak to me about?" he asked.

"Sir, it's about Lieutenant Winters' court martial." She said.

"Ah, yes." He said, pouring a glass of alcohol, "It was a shame when Sobel confronted me about it."

"Sir," she said, "permission to speak freely."

"Granted." He said.

Asa stood for a moment trying to put together the right words to say, "Sir, I don't think Lieutenant Winters deserves this. I think it was wrongly introduced as a punishment for something so small."

"As Captain Sobel has told me, Lieutenant Winters disobeyed direct orders. I don't think that is something valued in a leader in actual combat." Colonel Sink said.

Asa smiled at the irony of his statement, "Sir, I was with Lieutenant Winters' platoon during the training exercise. We were in our required location at the designated time, but Captain Sobel was not. In a real life situation, I believe that is unacceptable. Lieutenant Winters spread us out in the best possible formation for an attack as he could with so little men. He even consulted with a few of the first sergeants and asked them if we should move on with the attack. I believe he did what was right."

Colonel Sink listened to her, as if he hadn't heard the whole story from Sobel. She figured he hadn't. The Colonel rose from his chair and said, "So you're meaning to tell me, that Captain Sobel was not in position, so Lieutenant Winters took matters into his own hands?"

"Yes, sir." She said, "But not for bragging rights, he did it because he saw it was a necessity."

Colonel Sink looked at her with approval, "A necessity." He repeated.

"Sir, Lieutenant Winters should not be punished for another man's mistake." Asa said, knowing what those words could bring.

"Private," Colonel Sink said, "I can't help but agree with you. I believe your statement was whole-heartedly truthful, and I admire you for your concern about your Lieutenant." She felt hope rise in her from his words, "I will take your account into consideration."

"Thank you, sir." She said, saluting him.

He saluted her back, "Dismissed."

She walked out of Battalion, a good feeling washing over her with the sunlight. She squinted up at it, reveling in the warmth of its rays on her face. When she looked back ahead of her, Winters was making his way toward her.

He smiled, "Private Moltisanti."

"Hello Lieutenant Winters." She said, saluting him.

"What are you up to? I heard Easy Company had an unusual day off today?" he said.

"Yeah, but we're still on our toes. We haven't forgotten what happened with the spaghetti." She said, giving him a wink, "I just came from Colonel Sink's office."

Winters' face took on a troubled look, "Is everything alright?"

"Oh yes," she said, "I just wanted to present him with a small issue. What are you up to, now that you, uh, well you know."

Winters smiled, looking down at the ground. She couldn't help but smile with him, it was contagious. "Well, I'm mostly doing inventory of things right now. They give me small chores to do to try and keep me busy. I was watching Easy doing some bayonet practices yesterday, and I couldn't help but think that I should have been out there."

Asa nodded sadly, "We all want you back, sir. Captain Sobel, well…he's still Captain Sobel. Getting us lost, killed. We had a patrol with Dog Company last night, and I think Lieutenant Speirs was a little frustrated with Captain Sobel." She shook her head, "We're still loyal to you Lieutenant."

He stared at her with a look of gratitude etched on his face, "Well, keep up the good work out there. Your bayonet and hand to hand combat look great."

"Thank you, Lieutenant, I'll tell the boys." She said.

They nodded in farewell and started on their way. She was just starting to take the road that lead back to her temporary home, when she heard him shout, "Asa!"

Her stomach leapt at the sound of his voice saying her name. She turned around, welcoming the chance to speak with him further, "Yes, sir?"

"If you do go into the jump without me, just remember what I told you. On Currahee." He said.

"Rise to his level." She said.

"But never rise above."

"I'll remember that sir." She said, "But I'll be damned if we go into that jump without you."

_** So I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for the delay in between my chapters! :O I forgot to put a note on my last chapter because I was in a hurry to get to work! I thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the reviews. You've all been so kind! :D**_


	6. Humanity in Darkness

Asa turned away from the horrific sight in front of her. She tuned out the sound of helpless screams, and more brutish shouting. Finally a gunshot ended the pain, and she worked faster so as not to fall victim too. She heard the heavy boot steps near her and then silence. Asa cautiously threw a glance to her right, receiving a blow to the face that nearly made her fall to the ground. She caught the table and managed to stay upright, reaching blindly toward the work she had been doing moments ago.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to even look at your superiors?" the guard's voice asked.

"No sir!" She said loudly.

She heard the sneer in his voice as he said, "That's right, you're the soldier. An American."

"Yes sir."

"Apparently not a very good one if you got yourself captured."

"It was to save a fellow soldier, sir."

The guard snorted and walked on. She watched him leave and sighed a breath of relief that a slap was all she had received. She continued her struggle digging holes in the ground for new barracks supports. Around her were the sounds of those digging, moans of those starving, and shouts of the guards.

Asa stopped to wipe her nose and felt something make contact with the back of her head. She stumbled forward and then fell to the ground with a small whimper. A boot collided with her side, making the air whoosh out of her lungs and a blinding pain erupt within her. The boot kicked four more times and then stopped. She stayed curled up in a ball on the ground, trying to regain her breath. The guard grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, hoisting her to her feet. She suppressed a cry of pain as she met the dull blue eyes of her head of block, Bruno.

"There will be no stopping work." Bruno said, "You are lucky you are my favorite."

"Yes sir, it won't happen again sir." Asa said, as he set her down on her feet, "Thank you, sir." She picked up shovel and continued her shoveling. It was even more painful now than before. She grimaced and bit her lip, refusing to let them get the best of her.

"You there!"

Asa and the other three women digging stopped and turned to face the guard who had spoken. He was pointing to Asa, and then motioned for her to come before him. She gently sat her shovel on the ground and quickly stumbled over to him, "Yes sir?"

He was new, that was obvious. She'd never seen him around the camp before. He was the same as the others, tall, blonde, dressed in uniform. As she got closer, she noticed the finesse of his features. His jaw was firm and delicately curved, just a small amount of stubble on his chin. The most striking feature was his eyes. They were blue, like the sky when the sun was setting. Like the Lapis ring her mother used to wear.

"The guards tell me you were a soldier." He inquired.

"Still am, sir." She said confidently.

He quirked his head and smiled, revealing a line of perfect teeth, "What is your name?"

She looked at the patch on her prison uniform, "M15-"

"Your real name." he interrupted.

It took Asa a moment to realized that he wanted her true name, and not the name the other soldiers called her. It also took her a moment to remember it, "Asa, sir. Asa Moltisanti."

"Erik Wolff." He said, extending his black gloved hand.

She stared at it incredulously. Never before had she witnessed such humanity from a guard since she arrived in Lansberg. She slowly reached out, afraid he would slap her for touching him, and firmly grasped his hand. Erik gave it a good shake and then let go, "Back to work, Asa."

"Yes, sir." She said quietly, not sure what actually just happened.

Erik smiled and swaggered back over to the group of guards standing nearby. She walked back to her shovel and began digging again. She risked a glance at the group of guards. She met Erik's gaze, and he gave her a quick smile.

She turned back to digging, her face turning red at being caught. She wondered how Erik was so civil, unlike all the others in the camp. He was the only one who treated her like a human being. Asa frowned, it would change with time. The camp changed people, it would either make you or break you. For the Germans, it made them. For the Jews and POW's, it broke them.

But Asa refused to be broken.

**_Hello everyone! Sorry about that wait, but everything's been so hectic lately! The most important thing, though, is that I got accepted into UW-Platteville! :D This kid's going to college! Anyway, I know that Erik being so nice is kind of far-fetched, but I would like to think not all Germans were bad. So that's where Erik's character fits in. So everyone, please read and review! _**


End file.
